Spectacle case



B. GROSVENOR 2,657,791

SPECTACLE CASE Nov. 3, 1953 Filed Dec. 7, 1950 INVENTOR BENJAMIN GROSVENOR ATTO NE i atentecl Nov. 3,

'SPECTACLE CASE Benjamin Grosvenor, Pomfret, Conn., assignor to American Optical Company,

Southbridge,

Mass., a voluntary association of Massachusetts Application December 7, 1950, Serial No. 199,590

(c1. 2os5) 1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to spectacle cases and has particular'reference to cases of the type formed of flexible sheet material arranged so as to provide a receptacle for spectacles,and method of making same.

An important object of the invention is to provide an improved spectacle case formed of leather, fabric, plastic or other suitable flexible sheet material which can be initially shaped as a blank which may be stamped or otherwise cut out of the desired sheet material, and assembled with separate flexible retaining means so as to form a receptacle for carrying spectacles or like articles.

Another object is to provide a spectacle case of the above character which comprises a body of sheet material cut to the desired size and shape and folded so as to present joined front and back portions, said back portion embodying retaining means for attachment of a separate elongated flexible retaining member, which member extends transversely of the inner surface and around the ends of said back portion, with portions thereof overlying portions of the outer surface of said back portion, the ends of said member being secured to said retaining means and thereby forming means for retaining spectacles or like articles in position within the case.

Another object is to provide a spectacle case of the above character wherein said bodyelement is of a selected material and of a preferred color and has secured thereto the flexible retaining member which may be of contrasting material and/or color, said body portion being further provided with fastening means for securing the front and back portions thereof together, said fastening means also being provided in contrasting colors and materials if desired for decorative purposes.

Another object is-to provide a spectacle case of the above character which can be formed of sheet material so shaped'as to require the use of a minimum amount of material and adapted to be manufactured at relatively low cost.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the device illustrated in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3 and looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the blank from which. the body portion is formed; and I Fig. 6 is a fragmentary plan view of the re-- taining member.

In the manufacture of flexible spectacle cases: for sale in the low priced field, it has been customary to assemble such cases by stitching, cementing or similar methods involving a considerable amount of labor and thereby resulting in increased cost of the product. It has been; found, however, that such methods of assembly are not always satisfactory since over periods of? time, particularly under severe conditions, of wear, the stitches or cement may deteriorate thereby allowing the assembled portions of said case to become disconnected and thereby permit-- ting the spectacles or other contents of the case to become lost or damaged. The present invention overcomes the above objections through elimination of some of the additional labor and cost incurred by such methods of assembly by providing a compact, durable and attractive flexible case consisting of a one-piecebody element arranged to form a receptacle for spectacles or the like. To said body element is attached retaining means preferably in the form of an elongated band of flexible material, said band extending transversely of the inner surface and around the ends of the rear portion of said body element and overlying a portion of the outer surface of said rear portion of the body element, the ends of said band being detachably secured. to said rear portion of the body element by simple and efficient means, said body element'- being further provided with fastening means for securing the folded portions thereof in closed relationship, thereby providing a receptacle for retaining spectacles or similar articles and pro-- tecting said articles from possible damage when not in use.

Referring more particularly to the drawing wherein like characters of reference designate like parts throughout the several views, the embodiment of the invention as shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a one-piece body element shaped substantially to the shape illustrated in Fig. 5 and formed as a blank Swhich may be stamped or otherwise cut out of flexible sheet material of the selected type such asleather, fabric, plas- 3 tic or the like. The blank 9 consists of a back panel portion I and a front panel portion II, which when folded into overlying relation with one another as shown in Fig. 1 will be seen as being of substantially the same contour shape and size.

An elongated band or retaining member l2 (Fig. 6) also f rmed as a an w le y stamped or otherwise out out of flexible sheet material of the type desired such as leather, fabric, plastic or the like, and is adapted to extend transversely across the inner surface of the back panel portion I0 (Figs. 3 and 4) and around the ends thereof, and has portions 139 overlying the outer surface of said back panel portion It. The

extreme ends of the band I! are extended through vertically disposed slits I4 formed in the back panel portion I0 and are provided with enlarged end portions l3 adapted, when the band is in ss-. sembled relation with the body portion 9, to overhe the inner u a o ack panel por i l0 beneath the maiq transversely extending por.- tion o the T e sl s H a s tially shorter tha the i th o the nd por ons of the band I2 so that the band i2 is held securely in place. The end portions B may b s aped in various manners, the important factor being to maintain the e a ge end po o s 13 of a widt greater than the length of the slit I41. ,Such mea s provides for d t e ls c n t e tr p 11 t the ea p n l port o N of th body l ment so that th 2 m y b n e an eable if desired.

a snap fastener i5 Sil s :1) su h as t pe embodyin cooperat ve mal and fema e cans to retain fro t pane po io so a tached relation with the rear p n l po t on M1- The male element 46 of the snap fastener i5 is preferably s r d in th c ventio al to t e r r p el portion with th fema e els ment 11 being mounted on the fippt ml.- tion H and heim; adapted to coopera e with the male element It to pos tienithe i q -tion H in secured overlying relatign rear panel portion 1&9.

Spectacles or other articles to be carried in the case are positioned between the transversely e ttending portion of :2 and the rear portion I 9 as showninrig. 2, and the front portion '5 adapted to :be brought down into overlying relation therewith, to seal the upper edge of the case, and to be secured .to the rear portion ll by the fastener 15, thus sealing lower edge of the case. The article being carried in the case is prevented from sliding .outiof the ends thereof by the portions of the band 12 which extend around the ends of the rear panel port.- tion In.

When carrying spectacles in the case;-for' wl:dch purpose the case is particularly well adapted, the front or lens carrying portion of the spectacle frame is inserted between the elongated retaining band l2 and the inner surface of .the back panel portion 19 (Fig. 2) with the temple members of the frame resting on the upper edge of the band I2 with the depending-portions thereof overlying the front surface of the band. This serves 'to locate and hold the spectacle in its proper locationinthespectacle case. panel portion I l is next folded demand-secured to the rear panel-portion Hi, thereby providing eflicient, safe, compact and durable means for carrying spectacles-or similar articles.

4 with the construction illustrated, the body element 9 will be preferably initially stamped from the selected flexible sheet material and the slits M will preferably be formed simultaneously with the blanking operation. The retaining band I! may be formed of a material and color similar to the body element 9 or, if desired, it may be formed of a different material, sueh for example, as by forming it of a light metallil or plastic material which would impart some rigidity to the assembled structure. Another desirable feature is that the retaining band I! and the snap fastener I5 may be provided in colors contrasting with the color of the body element, which will increase the decorative effect and enhance the appearance of the final product.

The foregoing specification describes an improved spectacle case formed of sheet material having its related portions retained in position with respect to one another by simple and effi- .cien d ta a eo ne l s m w i h w neet ng mo ns p ov de reinforcing means fo th as well as decorative effect therefor.

It wil be seen h t simple and eff n mea s and method have been provided in accordance with the objects set forth hereinabove. While the novel features of the invention have been described and are pointed out in the annexed claim, it il e u der t th a ou substitu i ns and c n s in th f m sl d tails i t e a d 'de e l d m y be d by th e skilled in h or; h t dep r n o the spirit of the invention. I, therefore, do not wish to be limited to the exact details described as t e pre e r d only a e et o th y ay of ustra ion I claim:

A two-piece stitchless spectacle case comprising a one-piece body of flexible non-metallic sheet stock folded along a transverse line to form a pair of panels eaeh of which has a length and a .width greater than that of the spectacles to be positioned therebetween, one of said panels having a pair of spaced slits .lmgularly disposed to said transverse line of fold, and a separate strap member of similar flexible sheet stock over.- lying the inner surface of said panel having the spaced slits, said strap member having its opposed longitudinal edges free and its end portions extended around the opposed side edges of said slitted panel so as to overlie the outer surface of said panel adjacent said opposed side edges and terminating in enlarged ends which are extended through the respective slits to lie on the inner surface of said panel beneath the intermediate portion of said strap member, said'strap member, when in'seculfed relation with the panel, having an effective length sufllcient .to permit spectacles to the inserted and snugly fit between said intermediate portion and the paneland with the temples thereof overlying the strap member, said st ep memb r havin a width ess tha t dth e he ut fie mt o t a h n sai s ta e a e sl p be ween the intermediate po i n o strap emb th inne raeeo the an l the m il p0 .tion of the lens areas .of the spectacles will be covered thereby, said slits being only slightly longer than the width of said strap member and ss than that .o the enlarg d end wh y t enlarged ends will maintain the strap member in readily detachable but positive assembly yiith the said panel and preventthe spectacles from slipping sidewise out or the and connection In producing a spectacle case in accordame means carried by said mpancisaddacent their References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,703,139 Falcone Feb. 26, 1929 2,188,813 King Jan. 30, 1940 Number Number Name Date Simpson Mar. 24, 1942 Ogden Mar. 26, 1946 Lebold June 15, 1948 Capano Apr. 3, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain 1908 Great Britain July 5, 1923 

